Real Madrid must return to the scene of one of their greatest embarrassments in modern times after being drawn to face Alcoyano again at the last-32 stage of the Copa del Rey.
For a second successive year, Madrid must travel to the tiny Estadio El Collao in Alcoy in their opening match in the competition.
They will be looking to avoid the fate that befell them in January of this year, when then-coach Zinedine Zidane and his players were humiliated after losing 2-1 to the third-tier team, who snatched an extra-time winner while down to 10 men.
Alcoyano booked their place in the last-32 stage this season with a penalty shoot-out win over Levante, and Friday s draw for the next round saw them handed another plum home clash with Madrid.
Now being led by Car…
Watford s Javi Gracia confessed he is not entirely sure what the term Sarriball means but believes Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri is one of the best around.
The Hornets face Chelsea on Sunday and need a win to keep their hopes of a top-seven finish alive – albeit their chances will already be over should Wolves beat Fulham on Saturday.
Chelsea also need the three points, as the race for the top four and Champions League qualification via Premier League placing heads down to the wire.
Sarri s possession-based style of play drew plaudits at the start of the campaign, though pressure reportedly remains on the Italian s position.
And while acknowledging his ignorance of the phrase coined to describe Sarri s philosophy, Gracia stressed his respect for his…
It was well after the final whistle on deadline day but, eventually, Antoine Griezmann s return to Atletico Madrid was officially confirmed.
Two years after leaving, Griezmann has joined on a season-long loan from Barcelona, with the deal including an option to extend for a further year and a compulsory permanent transfer clause.
Earlier this month, Barca – in a straw-clutching move following Lionel Messi s departure for Paris Saint-Germain – made a rather big deal of Griezmann making his 100th club appearance. Not even two weeks later, he is gone.
On that landmark appearance, Griezmann hit the crossbar in a 4-2 win over his former club Real Sociedad, where he had developed into one of LaLiga s brightest attackers before joining Atleti in 2014.
…
After the 2018 World Cup final, when highlights of France s thrilling 4-2 win were played back at Luzhniki Stadium, one man in particular was enraptured.
Antoine Griezmann stood on the pitch, ignoring the celebrations that surrounded him, his gaze fixed upwards at the big screen beneath the storm-laden sky.
His hands to his mouth, eyes watering, smile beaming, the face of the man bore an expression of boyish disbelief: I was just man of the match in the World Cup final. And we won.
It s unlikely anything in Griezmann s career will ever top that victory over Croatia in the Russian capital. Win or lose, Sunday s Nations League final against Spain almost certainly won t. Still, it will be another special occasion for the Atletico Madrid forward, who is set to win…
Atletico Madrid consolidated their Champions League qualification hopes with a 2-0 win at Elche in Diego Simeone s 400th LaLiga game in charge of the club.
Simeone s side battled to a 1-0 victory over rivals Real Madrid on Sunday, and were soon ahead at Estadio Martinez Valero when Matheus Cunha opened the scoring in the first half.
Rodrigo de Paul added a second after the interval and Elche rarely threatened Jan Oblak s goal in response, failing to have a shot on target all game.
It mattered little for the boisterous home crowd as Real Mallorca s stalemate at Sevilla on Wednesday confirmed safety for Elche, while Atletico climbed into third – six points clear of fifth-placed Real Betis with two games to go.
14 There were 14 passes in the build up to A…
England trio Alessia Russo, Keira Walsh and Lauren James were among the winners as the inaugural Women’s Football Awards took place in London on Thursday.
Manchester United forward Russo was named player of the year, while midfielder Walsh, her fellow Euro 2022 winner who joined Barcelona from Manchester City last summer for a world-record fee, took the international player of the year award.
Chelsea forward James and Liverpool midfielder Missy Bo Kearns, both 21, were winners in the young player of the year category.
There were also gongs for two members of the England men’s team, with captain Harry Kane and Declan Rice receiving ally awards, and former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright was named women’s football champion of the year.
The cere…
Best Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker:
With this season’s DFP Pokal up for grabs on Saturday night, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt will meet at the Olympiastadion.
RB Leipzig
Starting with RB Leipzig, eventually breezing to another Champions League ticket this season, Marco Rose’s side certainly finished the 2022/23 campaign enjoying a stellar purple patch. With the mood around the Red Bull Arena at a continued high since returning from March’s international break, the former Borussia Dortmund boss has seen his high-flying squad receive a string of plaudits. Last seen putting in another action-packed display as they claimed a 4-2 victory at home against Schalke, Leipzig have won each of their last five straight meetings against Bundesliga opposition. Punching the…
Manchester United have confirmed the departure of defender Eric Bailly, who has joined Marseille on a season-long loan with the potential for a permanent transfer.
The Ivory Coast centre-back has swapped the Premier League for Ligue 1 on a deal that will initially run to the end of the 2022-23 season.
But Marseille will have the option to buy the 28-year-old before the campaign concludes.
According to reports, that will become a €6million (£5m) obligation if Bailly meets an appearances criteria and Marseille qualify for the Champions League.
Bailly arrived at Old Trafford from Villarreal in 2016 and was a member of United s EFL Cup and Europa League-winning squad under Jose Mourinho in 2017.
However, various injury struggles, as well as the…
Lionel Messi has highlighted Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique as the best coaches he has worked under at Barcelona.
Guardiola coached Messi between 2008 and 2012, with Barca winning 14 trophies during his tenure at Camp Nou.
Tito Vilanova took over when Guardiola left and guided Barca to a LaLiga title in 2012-13, though he left the post due to ill health and subsequently died of cancer within a year.
After Gerardo Martino s brief spell in charge, former Barca attacker Luis Enrique took charge in 2014 and enjoyed three trophy-laden years as Blaugrana boss.
Luis Enrique guided Barca to two LaLiga titles, three successive Copa del Rey triumphs and the 2014-15 Champions League.
In 105 league appearances under Luis Enrique, Messi netted 106 goals – …
According to The Athletic, Manchester City are expected to accept a £30 million offer from Al-Ahli for the services of Riyad Mahrez.
The 32-year-old winger joined the Premier League champions from Leicester City in 2018 for a reported fee of just over £60 million. Since then, he s gone on to score 78 goals and produce 59 assists in 236 appearances for Pep Guardiola s side in all competitions, adding four Premier League titles to the one he spectacularly won with the Foxes in 2016, winning three League Cups, two FA Cups, two Community Shields, and crowning his time at the Etihad with the Champions League trophy last season.
Mahrez has apparently accepted Al-Ahli s offer of £25m per year in wages, and the medical preceding his move to the Middle East is scheduled to …